By Henri D. Kahn

The Senate and House of Representatives have passed two different Medicare prescription drug bills that include complicated formulas to determine the benefit for a senior citizen.
I decoded the formulas of each legislative body and discovered that the House version pays 35% and the Senate version pays 30% of prescription medicine cost. These net cost percentages take into consideration that the senior citizen has to pay a premium of between $35 and $41 per month. Drug expenses above $5,800 will be paid at 90% by the proposed programs, depending on specified income levels.
Consequently, Medicare recipients will receive a benefit of about $3,900 for the first $5,800 of prescription drugs purchased during a 12-month period and 90% of the additional prescription drug cost until the end of the benefit period. The deductible and percentage limitations will probably start over every 12-month benefit period. The House and Senate are working on a compromise bill which may change this current plan. Wouldn't you just love to eavesdrop on one of the compromise sessions? "I'll vote for your preference on this bill if you agree to allot $250 million to the chigger bite research being conducted in my jurisdiction." "You got it, as long as you further agree to fund my legislative committee's junket to Bermuda (including the male or female consort of our choice) to conduct a study about the effects of transcendental meditation on libido."
The information provided by the politicians is ambiguous, especially the free drugs for impoverished seniors. After reading the summarized information provided in the newspaper, I have determined that free drugs will be provided to impoverished seniors who receive an income of $800 or less per month.
The bottom line here is that these proposed programs will not even start until 2005, with the exception of some minor discounts over the next year and a half or so.
Heck, at least it's a beginning that hopefully will lead to healthcare for all people regardless of race, creed, religion, or economic circumstance.
Every politician I have heard expound on the subject of government subsidized healthcare emphasizes the cost of the program. Not a single one of our elected members of congress has mentioned the grand enormity of the beginning of this humanitarian effort for the inhabitants of our country.
The evidence is overwhelming that the warlike spirit of the current administration in Washington is more important than the care of and consideration for our own people.

Now to Bush. . . .
The public and political outcry to impeach Bill Clinton for lying about "getting a little" after hours at the White House was deafening. "He lied, he lied, we can't have a president who lies, even if it's just about the definition of 'having sex.'"
Now we have a president who, along with a cadre of liars, lied through his teeth about the reason for committing our nation and its soldiers to a fiasco 7,000 miles from our shores. His lies are causing the death of brave fighting men who are lost forever to their families. His lies are creating expenses so huge that we are having to curtail education and healthcare for the indigent and experience the loss of dignity for the jobless. Is he a candidate for impeachment or what?
How this twerp is very close to sending more of our fighting men to Liberia along with demanding its president to step down or else!
George Bush, president by a decision of the Supreme Court and the shenanigans of his brother Jeb, continues to display delusions of grandeur.
With all of this president's foolish acts and wrong knee-jerk decisions, why would any intelligent, caring person vote for him in the next presidential election?
National healthcare is simple: increase taxes across the board to fund free healthcare for all. Finding the magic formula to keep the physicians, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, etc., happy just ain't gonna happen!
Those persons who want exclusive care from a certain healthcare provider will pay the extra fees from their own pocket.

Heard at a restaurant:
"Bring back all of our soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan. Empty our jails, round up as many violent gangs as possible, and send all of these reprobates to control those citizens of Iraq who are so happy we liberated them, they cheer when our soldiers are ambushed and killed. Fly the dregs of humanity to Afghanistan so the tribes in that Godforsaken part of the world can get a taste of their own medicine when they are forced to deal with thieves and murderers just like them."
Gosh, it sounds as ridiculous as George W. Bush and his squalid cohorts sending our military forces on a 7,000-mile goose chase.

(Please send your insurance questions to Henri D. Kahn, c/o LareDOS, 1812 Houston St. 78040; fax 791-4737; or e-mail laredos@swbell.net.)